This Darkness I've Started
by bladion13
Summary: The skeleton brothers had quite the history behind them, even if they couldn't remember. Papyrus was changing, in ways Sans couldn't find answers to. He needed to retrace his steps before the brother he thought he knew changed forever, for the worse. Warning: yandere mentions, light fontcest and eventual body horror. This is going to take a while.


"Sans?"  
"Yeah, Paps?"  
"Do you love me?"

Sans looked down to his little brother, the currently smaller skeleton sitting next to him on their couch as they watched tv. There was an amount of doubt and fear in Papyrus' expression that Sans decided he didn't like.  
"Of course I do." the elder leaned smiled, leaning down to press his mandible to Papyrus' forhead with a gentle 'clack', "Never doubt it."

Papyrus appeared to relax back into leaning against Sans' jacket as they went back to their program. Sans quietly congratulated himself on another possible disaster diffused in the sibling category. It was getting tougher to keep Papyrus happy as he started to grow up. Once he could keep the other content with toys and new tv discs that he smuggled from the dump but now Papyrus was full of questions, many of them Sans couldn't always answer straight away. Another rising problem as Papyrus grew, was his growing separation anxiety. Sans' attempts to sneak out to work in the morning were halted by his younger brother's attempts to keep him from leaving. It was endearing at first but as time went on it became less so. What started as papyrus watching him leave, tearfully from the stairway, was now the younger hiding Sans' work items and then finally going into full tantrum mode. He was now at Sans' eye level in height so when Papyrus wanted to cling to his brother, it made it near impossible for Sans to get out the door.

Sans was snapped from his thoughts by a sudden dull pain in his hand. Then there was this. The younger skeleton had fallen into the bad habit of biting. Now he WAS teething, Sans excused, but it didn't stop it from being annoying. "Bro, ya gotta cut the biting out." Sans sighed, rolling the other over. Papyrus was asleep.

Another sigh drew itself out of Sans. Their situation was not desirable. He still couldn't recall any memories of where they came from or how it was they came to be. Other monster children had parents. He and Papyrus lacked that and as far as Sans knew, they always had. His first memories were of opening his eyes to a crying bundle, instinctually, as though his soul told him firmly, that this was his brother. He had to protect his brother. Memories after that were blurred together of a seeming eternity of Sans trudging through Waterfall, ankle deep in water and swampland then through the cold of Snowdin. He remembered, it was the festive lights that drew him into the town, Papyrus clasped protectively to his chest. It was here he gave his bones a rest for the first time since he had woken to this world.  
He had searched every settlement they had found for help, but no one was in the position at the time to take the two brothers in. The realization sunk in like a cold weight on Sans' shoulders. He was going to have to create their stability on his own.

His first state of business was to find a job. He could find places for him and Papyrus to sleep but money was a must if they were to survive. Sans quickly learned the minimum working age for monsters in this town and adjusted his written age as such. However, he still had little luck. Most of the shops were family owned and the townsfolk were wary of new faces coming in to take jobs.  
Sans felt his soul dropping further every day he didn't secure a job. everything was riding on this. Finally, there was a light in the darkness. Or more appropriately, a flame.

The local bartender reached out to Sans, connecting to him as he was once from out of town and felt out of place. He landed a job as a cleaner around the bar, from opening until four, when Grillby would then be serving alcohol. The bartender was kind, always boxing up some food for Sans to take with him at the end of each shift, knowing it wasn't Sans alone depending on this job.

Sans paused from his memories to look about the darkness of their living room. The house was warm. It was theirs. He remembered a time it wasn't.

His first paycheck. It was almost a miracle, if Sans hadn't worked so hard for it. It was a symbol, a sign that he would only move forward from this. The first paycheck of many. Homes in Snowdin weren't very expensive, most monsters wanting to be in the city, so it wasn't too hard for Sans to place down a down-payment on a vacant lot on Snowdin Path. Memories of the first time Sans walked into the house were still so clear. The house had been dark and empty, as most houses that had yet to be homes were. Sans walked around they layout, the carpetless floors making a gravelly sound under his snowboots.

It was almost surreal. This was once someone else's home, but now all signs of their presence gone. The streetlamps filtered their light through the window-blinds, filling the downstairs with an eerie haze. The wallpaper had been hastily stripped away, ;leaving scratches in the drywall that remained. Empty. Yet so moldable. This was currently a house, but Sans could make it a home for he and Papyrus. They would make this place theirs.  
Grillby paid his hourly workers weekly, which Sans had come to rely on to continue in his home improvements. He saved up over time and excitedly got Papyrus a bigger bed in the shape of his favourite toy, a red racecar. It was all the smaller could talk about. Papyrus' excitement was fuel for Sans to keep going and work harder.

Over two years, Sans had installed carpets, painted the walls the color Papyrus chose for the entire house and decorating Papyrus' room in things the younger liked. His own room changed the least. He had Papyrus' old mattress in the corner and a drawer to the side. It wasn't a sight to behold but it all served its purpose to Sans. It had started as an undesirable situation, but now they had food, a home and each other. Sans looked back down at the other with a fond smile. If he could provide Papyrus happiness then he would do anything and it would all be worth it. With a deep breath, he hoisted himself and Papyrus up, taking him to his room and tucked him in for the night.

Sans remained to watch him for a while, his fixed smile fading slightly. Papyrus was four. Soon he'd be the school-going age. Standing at seven, Sans had already given up on school. His priority now was to keep him and Papyrus stable. Maybe he could learn over Papyrus' shoulder. Surely he would bring books home.  
Still, the thought of his brother leaving for school was bittersweet. He'd make friends, which Sans wanted, but it was still Papyrus growing away from home. Sans wanted that for his brother, he really did, but he just knew that the day Papyrus decided to go forth in the world, Sans would become a second thought in the others mind.  
"Selfish. You're being Selfish" Sans muttered to himself in distaste. He should be happy for his brother. Soon he'd have friends, his separation anxieties would lessen and Sans wouldn't have to worry about his brother being alone. This was a good thing.  
Sans repeated this mantra as he went to his own room and fell into a shaky sleep.

The next year came by without hesitation, whether the brothers were ready for it or not. They walked hand in hand towards the school, Papyrus now standing a few inches over Sans. Now to be honest, this was more of Papyrus dragging Sans down the walkway, overexcited about the new experience before them. Papyrus was talking quickly and near incohently, Sans smiling after him. As they reached the front doors of the school, Papyrus felt a sudden halt of movement in his brother. He whipped around to see what the hold up was, smile fading in confusion.

Sans took a deep breath, he should have seen this part coming. "This is as far as I go, Paps, I gotta get to wo-"

"You're making me go to school alone?" the look of pure betrayal halted any argument that Sans could create.

They stood in silence, Papyrus' grip on his hand tightening, angry tears welling in his eye sockets.

"Not alone Papyrus, you're going to make new friends"  
"I don't want new friends, I want MY BROTHER" Papyrus' voice was starting to rise.

Sans could practically see the countdown to a blowup right above Papyrus' head. He was running out of time.

"I'd love to go to school with you, Paps, but I need to work to support us."  
"Then I want to work too!"  
"Pap-"  
"I want to work with you!" the timer was closing down.  
"You can" Sans blurted, halting his brother's upcoming melt down.  
"But I need you to go to school first. You're so much better and a cool guy like you needs to start somehwere better than where I'm at right? So please, Paps, school is a good thing."

Papyrus stared intently at Sans for a moment, as though he didn't believe him. Suddenly determination shined in his eyes "Very well, brother! I will go to school then get the BEST JOB so it can be my turn to take care of you!" He pulled Sans into a tight hug before dashing into the school on a mission.

Sans watched him go with a sad smile.

"This is a good thing."


End file.
